EDB-drug-EMRO
In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
Address by
DR HUSSEIN A. GEZAIRY REGIONAL DIRECTOR
WHO EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN REGION to the
CONSULTATIVE MEETING ON NATIONAL DRUG POLICY EMRO, Alexandria, 6–8 September 1999
Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Colleagues,
It gives me great pleasure to welcome you all to this Regional Consultative Meeting on National Drug Policy. You have come here as experts in various areas of the pharmaceutical sector representing governments, professional associations, academic institutions and industry to discuss and explore ways by which countries of this Region could be better assisted to develop, implement, monitor and evaluate national drug policies.
There are many important reasons why countries need to develop and implement national drug policies. Drugs play a crucial role in health care; they offer a simple, cost- effective answer to many health problems if they are available, accessible, affordable and properly used. However, many people throughout the world cannot obtain the drugs they need. Earlier this year, the World Health Assembly at its Fifty-second Session adopted
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resolution WHA52.19 on a revised drug strategy. In this resolution, the assembly noted that about one-third of the world’s population lacked regular access to essential drugs.
There are also many people who have access to drugs but who do not get the right drug, in the right dosage, when they need it. Many people buy, or are prescribed drugs, which are not appropriate to their needs. The irrational use of drugs is not only the cause of unnecessary ill health and suffering, it also results in a waste of scarce resources. Another important issue of concern is that poor quality pharmaceutical raw material and finished products are continuing to move in international trade.
In spite of the work that has been done to improve access to essential drugs of acceptable quality and to promote rational drug use, these problems persist. The reasons for this situation are complex and are not to be found in financial and budgetary constraints. To fully understand them, it is necessary also to look at the characteristics of the market, and the attitudes and behaviour of government, prescribers, dispensers, consumers and the drug industry. Economic reforms, structural adjustment policies, trends toward liberalization, and reorganization of global trade and tariff agreements have further complicated the situation in many countries, making it hard to achieve greater equity in health. Changes in the patterns of disease and in demand for drugs also present countries with major challenges. The rise of new diseases such as AIDS, together with the re- emergence of other diseases and drug resistance, all contribute to increased spending on drugs and pressure on health resources.
Experience from many countries has shown that these complicated and interdependent problems can best be addressed within a common framework.
A country which develops a comprehensive policy framework—outlining its priorities, plans and strategies—can work most effectively to ensure that drugs of good quality, safety and equity are available at affordable prices to those who need them and that these drugs are properly used. Lack of a comprehensive national drug policy can lead to piecemeal approaches which leave important problems unsolved and often fail. A national drug policy also helps a country to tailor its allocation of resources to its particular needs, reflecting major health issues and the way in which it delivers its health services.
Moreover, the existence of a comprehensive national drug policy is an explicit statement of political support and commitment by the government. And government commitment to national drug policy can create an enabling environment not only for the public sector but
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also for the private sector. It is therefore based on these facts that WHO urges Member States to reaffirm their commitment to developing, implementing and monitoring comprehensive national drug policies and to taking all the necessary measures to ensure equitable access to good quality essential drugs and rational drug use.
In the Eastern Mediterranean Region, an increasing number of countries have been giving considerable political commitment to the development and implementation of national drug policies. During the last few years, several countries have formulated and adopted comprehensive national drug policies, and worked out master plans for their implementation. Others have relevant components of a national drug policy in place and are effectively implementing them. However, the progress in this area is not as we would have desired. The number of countries that have not developed a national drug policy or that lack some of the important components of a national drug policy is still significant. In addition, in several of the countries that have adopted a comprehensive national drug policy, implementation remains weak.
Support to Member States in national drug policy development and implementation has been one of the core activities of the Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean.
However, we realize that there is a need to increase these efforts and have therefore organized this consultative meeting with a view to directing these efforts more effectively.
In your deliberations, you will be focusing on some important issues related to national drug policy, namely: drug access, quality, rational use and traditional medicine.
What are the best approaches to take in order to achieve our objectives in this area? What are the best strategies for countries to follow in developing and implementing national drug policies? What are the priority areas for further development at country and regional level?
Such are the challenging questions that you will be attempting to answer during your deliberations in the coming few days.
I am confident that your expert recommendations will help strengthen our efforts in assisting countries, and that the documented outcomes of this meeting will serve as an important advocacy tool in the development and implementation of national drug policies, and also in evaluating and monitoring them.
I wish you a very successful meeting and a pleasant stay in Alexandria.
